Astana Hub is serving as a local partner of the 3rd International Olympiad in Artificial Intelligence (IOAI 2026), taking place in Astana from August 2 to 8. This year, IOAI brings together around 500 participants from 110 countries and territories, as well as leading experts and representatives of the global technology industry.
The Olympiad was officially opened by the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. The opening ceremony was attended by Deputy Prime Minister – Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development of the Republic of Kazakhstan Zhaslan Madiyev, Head of the Presidential Administration of the Republic of Kazakhstan Roman Sklyar, Minister of Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan Zhuldyz Suleimenova, Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan Sayasat Nurbek, Co-founder and Chair of the IOAI International Board Elena Marinova, and President of the Kazakhstan Federation of Sport Programming Bagdat Mussin.
The ceremony was attended by IOAI 2026 participants, team leaders, observers, and representatives of the international Olympiad community. This year, the competition has brought together approximately 500 participants from 110 countries and territories. Astana has become a meeting point for a new generation of researchers, engineers, and technology creators.
Presentations by invited experts were among the key highlights of the ceremony. Dr. Kai-Fu Lee, Chairman and CEO of Sinovation Ventures, President of the Sinovation Ventures AI Institute, and former President of Google China; Mikhail Lomtadze, Co-founder and CEO of Kaspi.kz; and Timur Turlov, Founder and CEO of Freedom Holding Corp., spoke about the rapid development of artificial intelligence technologies, the importance of fundamental knowledge, the willingness to experiment, and the responsibility of the next generation of developers.
As part of the IOAI 2026 program, the International AI Center alem.ai will serve as one of the Olympiad’s key venues. On August 6, it will host educational sessions with international experts, researchers, and technology company representatives dedicated to the development of artificial intelligence, robotics, and the future of digital professions. Throughout the week, teams will also work on building and programming robots.
On August 7, alem.ai will host one of the most anticipated stages of the Olympiad — the Team Challenge final. This is where the world’s top ten teams will program robots and present their solutions before an international jury.
The 3rd International Olympiad in Artificial Intelligence IOAI 2026 is taking place in Astana from August 2 to 8. Participants will solve problems in machine learning, computer vision, natural language processing, and other areas of artificial intelligence.
The Olympiad program includes two individual competition rounds, a team challenge, educational sessions, international discussions, and cultural events.
Hosting IOAI 2026 in Kazakhstan reflects the country’s commitment to advancing digital education, supporting talented youth, and contributing to the global AI agenda.
The Olympiad is organized in Kazakhstan by the Kazakhstan Federation of Sport Programming (CPFED).
Background Information
IOAI is an international scientific Olympiad in artificial intelligence for high school students. It provides young talents with a platform to compete, exchange knowledge, and explore cutting-edge developments in AI technologies.
The International Olympiad in Artificial Intelligence has been held since 2024 and has already become one of the fastest-growing scientific Olympiads in the world. The first IOAI took place in 2024 in Burgas, Bulgaria, bringing together participants from 32 countries and territories. The second IOAI was held in Beijing, China, with participation from 61 countries and territories. Astana is hosting the 3rd IOAI, which has attracted a record number of participants and participating countries.
IOAI 2026 Partners
The 3rd International Olympiad in Artificial Intelligence is held with the support of the Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan, and the Astana City Administration.
Global Partners: IMC, Jane Street, Google, Huawei, Galbot, HRT, Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence, DeepInfra.
Local Partners: Kaspi.kz, Freedom Holding Corp., Documentolog, Higgsfield AI, Astana Hub.
Astana Hub is serving as a local partner of the 3rd International Olympiad in Artificial Intelligence (IOAI 2026), taking place in Astana from August 2 to 8. This year, IOAI brings together around 500 participants from 110 countries and territories, as well as leading experts and representatives of the global technology industry.
The Olympiad was officially opened by the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. The opening ceremony was attended by Deputy Prime Minister – Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development of the Republic of Kazakhstan Zhaslan Madiyev, Head of the Presidential Administration of the Republic of Kazakhstan Roman Sklyar, Minister of Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan Zhuldyz Suleimenova, Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan Sayasat Nurbek, Co-founder and Chair of the IOAI International Board Elena Marinova, and President of the Kazakhstan Federation of Sport Programming Bagdat Mussin.
The ceremony was attended by IOAI 2026 participants, team leaders, observers, and representatives of the international Olympiad community. This year, the competition has brought together approximately 500 participants from 110 countries and territories. Astana has become a meeting point for a new generation of researchers, engineers, and technology creators.
Presentations by invited experts were among the key highlights of the ceremony. Dr. Kai-Fu Lee, Chairman and CEO of Sinovation Ventures, President of the Sinovation Ventures AI Institute, and former President of Google China; Mikhail Lomtadze, Co-founder and CEO of Kaspi.kz; and Timur Turlov, Founder and CEO of Freedom Holding Corp., spoke about the rapid development of artificial intelligence technologies, the importance of fundamental knowledge, the willingness to experiment, and the responsibility of the next generation of developers.
As part of the IOAI 2026 program, the International AI Center alem.ai will serve as one of the Olympiad’s key venues. On August 6, it will host educational sessions with international experts, researchers, and technology company representatives dedicated to the development of artificial intelligence, robotics, and the future of digital professions. Throughout the week, teams will also work on building and programming robots.
On August 7, alem.ai will host one of the most anticipated stages of the Olympiad — the Team Challenge final. This is where the world’s top ten teams will program robots and present their solutions before an international jury.
The 3rd International Olympiad in Artificial Intelligence IOAI 2026 is taking place in Astana from August 2 to 8. Participants will solve problems in machine learning, computer vision, natural language processing, and other areas of artificial intelligence.
The Olympiad program includes two individual competition rounds, a team challenge, educational sessions, international discussions, and cultural events.
Hosting IOAI 2026 in Kazakhstan reflects the country’s commitment to advancing digital education, supporting talented youth, and contributing to the global AI agenda.
The Olympiad is organized in Kazakhstan by the Kazakhstan Federation of Sport Programming (CPFED).
Background Information
IOAI is an international scientific Olympiad in artificial intelligence for high school students. It provides young talents with a platform to compete, exchange knowledge, and explore cutting-edge developments in AI technologies.
The International Olympiad in Artificial Intelligence has been held since 2024 and has already become one of the fastest-growing scientific Olympiads in the world. The first IOAI took place in 2024 in Burgas, Bulgaria, bringing together participants from 32 countries and territories. The second IOAI was held in Beijing, China, with participation from 61 countries and territories. Astana is hosting the 3rd IOAI, which has attracted a record number of participants and participating countries.
IOAI 2026 Partners
The 3rd International Olympiad in Artificial Intelligence is held with the support of the Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan, and the Astana City Administration.
Global Partners: IMC, Jane Street, Google, Huawei, Galbot, HRT, Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence, DeepInfra.
Local Partners: Kaspi.kz, Freedom Holding Corp., Documentolog, Higgsfield AI, Astana Hub.
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